Posts tagged 'little things'

  • The Blessing of Reminders

    I often think of how much I need reminders regarding the essentials in my Christian life. I wrote about this topic previously, and I’m continuing to see how helpful reminders can be.

    Sometimes I get distracted when I’m tired, busy, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Encouraging Others

    Encouragement is the leaven of the soul. It lifts the heavy heart, strengthens the drooping hope, stirs the potential of the mind in positive ways. For the giver, it opens their eyes to see that spark of the Divine in others.1 ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Better Days Ahead—Part 8

    —Make Each Day Count

    We all want our lives to count, to make a difference. You, like me, have probably read articles or books on goal setting, building good habits, teamworking, being purpose-driven, etc., ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Better Days Ahead—Part 7

    —Rediscovering Joy

    As Christians, when we invite Jesus into our hearts and lives and are filled with the Holy Spirit, our lives change; we experience the joy of our salvation and rejoice ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Better Days Ahead—Part 2

    —Finding Comfort in Times of Loneliness

    When we find ourselves in one of the difficult seasons of life, this can often be accompanied by loneliness or a sense of being alone in our struggles. Feeling alone and isolated ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • “My Sheep Hear My Voice…”

    This life is one grand set of experiences, designed by our Creator to help us to develop into a manifestation of His love. There is so much to be learned, not just from our own experiences but also from the lives of others, ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Heavenly Encouragement

    I was cold. Having to get out of my nice, warm bed early on a brisk morning didn’t seem like an ideal way to start the day.

    I was tired. I hadn’t slept well the night before. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • A Taxi and a Card

    On this particular day, I had an important appointment scheduled that couldn’t be changed. At the last minute a series of complications arose that left me with no transportation. It also turned out to be a difficult time of day ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Smiles Man

    I had just said goodbye to the doctor, paid my bill, and was hurrying out of the clinic, hoping that I wasn’t keeping my ride waiting. All of a sudden the Lord stopped me abruptly! I immediately knew why. I had forgotten something! ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • You Just Never Know

    One Christmas, Peter and I were traveling and needed to be in a hotel for a couple of days. Arriving early, we were told that our room wasn’t ready yet. Disappointed and very tired, we thought we would have to wait a couple of hours. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Reality of Greatness

    Someone I was communicating with mentioned the “greats” of Christianity. Although I’ve used this term—I think we all have—and I greatly admire those who the Lord has placed in the public eye to be examples, I felt the Lord wanted to give me some further understanding of how He looks at greatness. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Listening Dividends

    A while back I posted an article about one of the greatest gifts you can give to anyone—the gift of listening—and why this gift is so valuable to the one being listened to. In this article I want to present another aspect ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Say “I Love You” Every Day!

    It's customary on specific days to express our love and appreciation for others. On those days, the expectation is that we acknowledge and verbalize our caring and warm feelings for our loved ones and friends. ...

    by Peter Amsterdam

  • Radiant Imprints

    “He (Jesus) is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of God’s nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power." ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Customizing God

    Jesus interacts with each of us in a tailor-made way. I believe that He tunes in to what we find interesting or what means a lot to us. He loves to minister to us in ways that show His care for us as the unique creations that we are. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Those Dirty Shepherds

    One of my favorite pictures as a child was of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, as He carried a little lamb in one arm and His staff in the other.

    Perhaps our image of shepherds and their sheep has been formed from some ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Meeting Len

    While taking a much-needed break, Peter and I drove to another city where we planned to spend a few days to rest and enjoy the local sights. Arriving later than planned and finding that navigating the complicated streets of the ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Good Food and Friendship

    One of Peter’s hobbies is cooking, although he’s never had a lot of time to devote to it. Now it’s turning out to be a wonderful tool in our ministering to others. The Lord recently reminded me how often He had dinner with people ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Coffee and a Hug?

    Tony Campolo, popular Christian author, speaker, and sociologist, told of an encounter he had as he was walking in downtown Philadelphia: “I noticed a bum walking toward me. He was covered with dirt and soot from head to toe. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • The Bag Lady

    It’s only human to judge people and things by what our eyes see. That’s why Jesus had to admonish us to “judge not according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”[1] In other words, Jesus is telling us ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Two Parties

    I want to share with you two stories about two unusual parties. In attendance at both was a most powerful Personage, who, through the hand of one of His representatives, Tony Campolo, bestowed on the partygoers ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: A Waiting Room Chat

    I was sitting in a waiting area and was dictating an idea for a written prayer when a young man sat down nearby and started a conversation with me. Perhaps he overheard parts of what I was saying ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Love in the Parking Lot

    You know, parking lots at midnight can be very romantic. I bet a lot of you know that from experience. But in this instance I’m not talking about what we used to do when we were teens in our cars in the parking lot. I’m talking about ... (Audio included.)

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: Hardly Anything or Everything?

    Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short and easy to speak, but their echoes are truly endless.” How true! A few simple words, spoken by unassuming people, yet filled with the Lord’s Spirit and love, can reverberate ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: Piercing the Bubble

    In my last post I talked about how powerful our words of encouragement can be to people, and how we usually have to speak them by faith, believing that our “words fitly spoken” will have the desired result. ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: Be a Giver of Kindness

    Everyone craves encouragement. I believe that God wants to encourage people, but a lot of times He needs us to do it. And, believe it or not, we do have what others need. We have God’s love—that is powerful! ...

    by Maria Fontaine

  • Living With Meaning: The Five-Cent Life Changer

    I was thinking about tracts the other day. To me, tracts are one of the most valuable things I can have with me when I go out. Without tracts in my purse or pocket, I feel that something vital is missing ...

    by Maria Fontaine